Cirrhimuraena taiwanensis sp. nov., a new species of cirri-bearing eel (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae) from Yilan, northeastern Taiwan

By

Yen-Ting, Lin
Lin, Yu-Hsiang
Yu-San, Han

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1224

Pages

129--140

Subjects

Biodiversity , brackish water , COI analysis , Taiwanese fringe-lip eel , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1224.141248

 

Abstract

A new species of cirri-bearing eel, Cirrhimuraena taiwanensissp. nov. (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae), is described based on a specimen collected from the estuary of the Langyang River (Yilan County), northeastern Taiwan. The new species is distinct from all congeners, except C. odishaensis and C. orientalis, in possessing a single row of mandibular teeth. Cirrhimuraena taiwanensissp. nov. differs from C. odishaensis in having significantly shorter pectoral fins and fewer vertebrae, and it is distinguished from C. orientalis by its larger head, notably more total vertebrae, and a dorsal fin that originates well behind the gill opening. In the neighbor-joining tree based on COI sequences, the new species forms a distinct monophyletic group; thus, it is clearly separable from congeners both morphologically and genetically. With this addition, there are now 13 species in the genus Cirrhimuraena.